Key Takeaways & Executive Findings
- •• Single particle crushing modes of steel slag are identified as through-splitting, complete fragmentation, and local cutting. • Steel slag particles exhibit higher compressive strength than natural aggregates or recycled materials, with increased loading rate accelerating crushing behavior. • Particle shape significantly influences crushing mode and characteristic stress, while energy release is jointly regulated by shape and loading rate. • Findings provide theoretical and technical support for resource recycling of steel slag in construction and roadbed applications.
Abstract
As a typical solid waste from the iron and steel, the mechanical properties of steel slag are regarded as the core basis for realizing its resource recycling. To explore the influence of shape and external loading speed on the crushing characteristics of steel slag, single particle crushing tests were carried out. The research focuses on the correlation between parameters such as the load−displacement relationship of single particles, crushing mode, crushing energy, and Weibull modulus, as well as external loading rate and quantified morphological parameters. The results show that the single particle crushing modes of steel slag mainly consist of three modes: through-splitting, complete fragmentation and local cutting; Compared with natural aggregates or recycled materials, steel slag particles are found to potentially exhibit higher compressive strength and the increase in loading rate further accelerates the occurrence of particle crushing behavior; Significant impacts on the crushing mode and characteristic stress of steel slag particles are exerted by their shape differences, and the energy release mode is jointly regulated by shape and loading rate. This research provides theoretical guidance and technical support for the diversified utilization of steel slag single particles, a new type of solid waste resource.
1. Introduction
With the rapid development of the global iron and steel industry, the efficient utilization of metallurgical solid waste resources has become an important topic to achieve sustainable development. Steel slag is a typical by-product produced in the smelting process [1−3], with huge output and low utilization rate. However, due to its excellent characteristics of high strength, wear resistance and low cost, it can be used as a substitute for natural aggregate to improve the strength and durability of materials [4]. Some studies have shown [5, 6] that steel slag can be used as high-quality building materials and roadbed materials after proper treatment, which can not only develop the potential of industrial solid waste as a new type of recycled materials, but also realize resource utilization to protect the ecological environment.
The traditional crushing process is mostly designed based on the group crushing characteristics of steel slag at a macro scale, but in the actual crushing process, the individual particles show significant differences due to factors such as internal distribution, shape parameter differences and external loading. Therefore, to reveal the crushing mechanism of steel slag from the single particle crushing behavior is a key scientific problem to break through the bottleneck of resource technology.
Single particle crushing test, as an important tool for micromechanics research of granular materials, is ultimately a study of the damage mode and compression damage mechanism of brittle materials under impact loading, and the engineering behavior and integrity of any granular media are highly dependent on the rupture potential or crushing characteristics of the material [7]. By precisely controlling the loading conditions and capturing the load−displacement response during the whole process of crushing, this technique is able to quantify the characteristics of the particle strength distribution pattern, energy dissipation, and crack extension paths, which provides basic parameters for investigating the characteristics of factors affecting the particles and establishing the ontological relationship of granular materials.
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Yang Hao, Wen Hui-shan, Zhang Jun-hui, Liu Ke, Xing Yi, Wu Meng-meng (2025). Quantifying influence of single particle shape and loading rate on mechanical properties of steel slag. Journal of Central South University. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11771-025-6054-8
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Frequently Asked Questions
What are the main crushing modes of steel slag single particles?
The main crushing modes are through-splitting, complete fragmentation, and local cutting.
How does loading rate affect the crushing behavior of steel slag particles?
An increase in loading rate accelerates the occurrence of particle crushing behavior, indicating a rate-dependent response.
What is the significance of particle shape in steel slag crushing?
Particle shape significantly influences the crushing mode and characteristic stress, and also affects the energy release mechanism when combined with loading rate.
What are the potential applications of this research?
The findings provide theoretical guidance and technical support for the diversified utilization of steel slag as a solid waste resource, particularly in construction and roadbed materials.
How does steel slag compare to natural aggregates in terms of compressive strength?
Steel slag particles potentially exhibit higher compressive strength compared to natural aggregates or recycled materials.
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